Carbios and Novozymes in Enzymes Deal

French green chemistry company Carbios and its subsidiary Carbiolice have signed a development agreement with Danish enzymes producer Novozymes.

Under the terms of the multi-year deal, Novozymes will upscale and produce Carbios’s proprietary plastic-degrading enzymes and supply them exclusively to Carbiolice, which will commercialize a new generation of products that will enable single-use plastics to be fully biodegradable.

“The market of single-use plastics raises major environmental concerns and our sustainable and inventive approach is now opening huge opportunities to fulfill industrial and consumer demand while fighting the threat of plastic pollution, said Jean-Claude Lumaret, CEO of Carbios.

The company is targeting a range of commercial applications that includes single-use plastics for grocery and retail bags, rigid and flexible packaging, disposable tableware and agricultural mulch films.

Carbios will be entitled to receive royalty payments from Carbiolice on commercial launch, which is anticipated in 2020.

Launched in 2016, Carbiolice is a joint venture between Carbios, agricultural group Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients and French public investment bank Bpifrance.